According to CBC News, Hope Casserly, a fourth-year University of Guelph computer science student, had left her Samsung Ace II x on her night table before falling asleep around 11:30 p.m. Casserly says it was not plugged in and was screen-side up. At around 1:30 a.m., she was awakened by a loud popping sound and was stunned by what happened next:

“My back was to the phone and ah — I saw a light going across my shoulder, which would be the inside of the battery on fire. It hit the wall and fell onto my bed,” she said. “I realized it was a fire and so I half sat up and put out the fire with my pillow … looked over and realized there was another fire and put that out with my pillow again and … turned on all the lights to see what happened.”

She believes the inside of the battery caught fire and exploded — flying off the night table, bouncing off a wall, then landing on her duvet, which started the fire.

Casserly says the battery casing also went flying across the room causing a second fire. “At first I was thinking, did my light bulb explode? But that didn’t makes sense, because my lights obviously weren’t on so it wouldn’t be my light bulb. And then I realized my bed was on fire, so that scared me even more.”

In response to an interview request by CBC News regarding the incident, Samsung provided the following statement:

“Samsung takes product quality and customer safety very seriously. After a preliminary analysis, Samsung has determined that the battery used in Miss Casserly’s Samsung Ace II X was not a Samsung authorized battery,” the company told CBC. “We have provided the customer with a replacement device and will be following up with the customer to resolve the matter”.

Casserly claims she was not using a third party battery, as the phone was purchased the way it was from a Virgin Mobile kiosk.

While Samsung has indeed sent Casserly a replacement phone, which is brand new and still has the screen protector on along with all the original wrapping. Casserly says she’s just too scared to use it, saying she’s worried the same thing could happen again.

Where did she get the battery?
Of course one could say that Samsung should make the hardware incapable of something like that (if they are going to allow 3rd party accessories such as batteries), but they can’t prepare for -everything-. Especially if it’s an unauthorized accessory. It would be nice to use this as fuel against Samsung, but I can’t really see that… she used an unauthorized battery, so it’s either her fault, or that 3rd party should be held responsible. Samsung did good in sending a new phone – I think she should be thankful, and secure in its safety.
She also needs to only buy authorized accessories from now on 😛

She says she was using her phone the way it was purchased from Virgin and wasn’t using a third party battery. But yeah, good to see she got a replacement, too bad about the fire that started when HER PHONE EXPLODED!

arhyno

Lol, the duvet that got burned was probably worth more then the phone she had. sadly a new phone isnt full replacement of the damages.

Chrome262

I am surprised they didn’t send her a letter with a non disclosure agreement as they did with the others. Never heard of one exploding before wow

ShaBi

She did not buy a 3rd party battery. The phone is the way it was when she got it.

John

So someone here is lying. Either she’s lying that she didn’t use a 3rd party battery or Samsung is lying saying she did. Kind of odd they’d send her a replacement if she was using a 3rd party batt as they claim.

Another possibility would be the Virgin kiosk? Maybe her phone was open box and someone switched it for a third party battery, or maybe the kiosk gave out free external third party batteries. We’ll never know.

But yeah, I bet a replacement was sent because of the explosion and fire, which seems to have happened to others as well.

J. W.

Thankfully Samsung learned from the last time where Nokia stepped in, and actually gave her a replacement phone.

Although to be honest, she probably needed a new phone anyway. The Ace IIx wasn’t that great of a phone even when it was released…

Brad

Oh yeah, after a preliminary analysis, the serial killer said he didn’t murder the girl. And we should believe that? Oh yeah, for a huge company with a former criminal chairman, with a infamous record of copying and denying, with all the marketing budget to shamelessly attack competitors, and we all should believe this piece of shit instead of believing a victim…